Monday, December 17, 2012

Wave of bomb attacks in Iraq kill 32, injure over 100

BAGHDAD, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- A new wave of bomb attacks, including 10 car bombings, targeted both Iraqi security forces and civilians across the country on Monday, killing a total of 32 people and wounding more than 100 others.

Such deadly attacks are seen as apparent attempts by insurgent groups to stir up sectarian strife among Iraqis to push the country to the brink of a civil war, amid persistent political divisions that have already paralyzed the country's government.

One of the attacks targeted a residential area inhabited by an ethnic Shiite minority named al-Shabak when a car bomb ripped through their village of Tahir-Awa, some 30 km east of Mosul, killing seven of them and wounding 14 others. Most of the victims are women and children.

In a separate incident, two roadside bombs detonated almost simultaneously in a nearby village without causing human casualty.

The Iraqi Shabak people are living in villages in Iraq's northern province of Nineveh, particularly around the provincial capital city of Mosul, some 400 km north of the country's capital Baghdad.

Meanwhile, five people were killed and 25 wounded in two car bomb explosions at a residential area in the city of Tuz-Khurmato, some 200 north of Baghdad.

Separately, three policemen, including an officer, were killed and three others wounded when gunmen attacked their patrol with a bomb and gunfire on a main road near the village of Albu-Slaibi close to the town of Dhuluiyah, some 90 km north of Baghdad.

In a separate incident, a booby-trapped car went off near a bus carrying Iranian Shiite pilgrims and travelling south of the town of Dujail, some 60 km north of Baghdad, wounding 14 Iranians, the source said.

The blast also destroyed nearby cars and killed two Iraqi civilians.

Elsewhere, gunmen attacked a police checkpoint and blew up a booby-trapped car in the city of Tikrit, the capital of Salahudin province in north of Baghdad, killing a policeman and wounding four others.

In the Iraqi city of Samarra, some 120 km north of Baghdad, another car bomb went off near a police checkpoint and wounded three civilians.

In Iraq's western province of Anbar, mortar rounds landed on a residential area in the town of Rutba, some 375 km west of Baghdad, killing two people and wounding six others.

Also in the province, a car bomb struck a police patrol in the town of Khaldiyah, some 80 km west of Baghdad, killing two policemen and wounding three others, including an officer.

In Baghdad, a car bomb detonated near Uqba Bin Nafie Square in the city's central district of Karrada, killing a civilian and wounding four others.

Near Baghdad, three soldiers were wounded in a roadside bomb attack near their patrol in the town of Tarmiyah, some 20 km north of the capital, while two policemen were wounded in a separate bomb explosion near their patrol in the town of Madain, some 30 km south east of Baghdad.

In Iraq's eastern province of Diyala, gunmen attacked the house of a tribal leader late Sunday at a village near the town of Qara- Tabba, some 165 km north east of Baghdad, and killed his son, grandson and a woman before they fled the scene.

On Monday morning, the attacker returned and detonated three bombs at a funeral tent set up for the victims, killing three people and wounding 10 others.

Also in the province, three people were killed and 20 wounded Monday in eight bomb and gunfire attacks, including two car bombings.

The attacks came after a series of bomb attacks struck the city of Kirkuk Sunday night, which killed at least 11 people and wounded some 50 others.

Observers said the attacks are part of an attempt by insurgent groups, including al-Qaida militant group, to show that they are capable of carrying out coordinated and high-profile attacks to undermine the Iraqi government's promise of providing security to Iraqis.

The attacks also reflect the insurgent groups' intention to stir up sectarian strife among Iraqis and raise fears that the country could be brought back to widespread violence, particularly as Iraq is trying to avoid the spillover of violence from the ongoing conflict in neighboring Syria.

Violence in Iraq has ebbed from its climax in 2006 and 2007, when sectarian conflicts pushed the country to the brink of a civil war, but tensions and sporadic shootings and bombings are still common across the country.

from XINHUA
by Jamal Hashim
2012-12-17 22:35:21
Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Military intelligence officer shot dead in southeast Yemen

map by Evan Centanni (www.polgeonow.com)
ADEN, Yemen, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Unidentified gunmen shot dead an intelligence officer in Yemen's southeastern province of Hadramout on Monday, a government official told Xinhua.

The masked assailants, who were on a motorcycle, shot and killed Shaker Bani, an inspector in the military intelligence agency in Bawazir neighborhood in Hadramout province, before fleeing the area, the local government official said, requesting anonymity.

"About two masked gunmen riding a motorcycle fired at the intelligence inspector who was heading home, leaving him gravely injured at the scene," the government source said.

Colonel Shaker Bani was rushed to a nearby military hospital where he died while receiving treatment.

Although al-Qaida militants are usually held responsible for such armed attacks and assassinations, no group has yet claimed responsibility for the drive-by shooting.

In January 2009, al-Qaida affiliates in Saudi Arabia and Yemen officially merged and formed Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. The group, mainly entrenching itself in Yemen's southern provinces of Abyan and Shabwa, is on the terrorist list of the United States, which considers it as an increasing threat to national security.

from XINHUA

2012-12-17 20:52:00
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Landmine blast kill 10 Afghan girls in Nangarhar province

According to local authorities in eastern Nangahar province of Afghanistan, at least 10 Afghan kids were killed and two others were injured following a blast in Chaparhar district in this province.

Provincial governor spokesman Ahmad zia Abdulzai confirming the report said the incident took place early Monady morning in Karnaw area, killing 10 Afghan girls and injuring two others.

He said the Afghan childrend were collecting wood when the incident took place.

Nangarhar is a relatively peaceful region in eastern Afghanistan however militnts are operating in a number of districts but today’s incident took place as a result of land mine planted during the civil war in Afghanistan.

Ahmad Zia Abdulzai said the landmine exploded while the girls were collecting wood from the area. He said preliminary investigations reveal that the land mine was planted several years back.

Unexploded ordnance which has remained across the country has created tensions among the civil and rights activists.

In a similar incident a number of Afghan kids were killed or injured in Dara-e-Noor district earlier.

from KHAAMA
By Sajad - December 17 2012, 3:19 pm

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Taliban say suicide bomber targeted US company in Kabul

Afghanistan's Taliban movement claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in Kabul on Monday which targeted a U.S. contracting company and killed two Afghan civilians, underscoring security challenges ahead of a NATO pullout.

Hours earlier, a blast in eastern Afghanistan killed 10 Afghan girls, between nine and 11 years old, as they collected firewood.

The Taliban and its allies have staged high-profile attacks in Kabul over the past few years against Western targets, including embassies. Attacks on Western companies are rare.

"A suicide car bomber attacked an important American company which is involved in security," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.

"The company was under our surveillance for a long time and today we succeeded."

After more than a decade of war against Western forces with superior firepower and technology, the Taliban remain a potent force capable of striking in the heart of Kabul.

Many Afghans fear the Taliban, who were toppled by U.S.-backed Afghan forces in 2001, will push to seize power again after most NATO combat troops leave by the end of 2014. They also worry another civil war could erupt.

The Afghan government says the Taliban have no chance of taking over and that police and troops can take control once Western forces pull out.

An Interior Ministry spokesman said two Afghan civilians were killed in the Kabul attack and that the 15 wounded included two foreigners.

The Virginia-based company that was targeted, Contrack International Inc., has built fuel storage systems in military bases in Afghanistan.

EXPANDING REACH

After the blast, Western men clutching weapons walked outside the company compound as ambulances sped by. A NATO soldier walked by parts of a building that was torn apart by the blast, which left a large crater. A brick wall collapsed.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said the blast occurred near Camp Phoenix, a U.S. military base where Afghan soldiers are trained.

"The attack did not seem to be directed at ISAF forces," said Lieutenant-Colonel Les Carroll, an ISAF spokesman.

Kabul Police Chief General Ayoub Salangi said explosives were planted in a small truck.

The Taliban have expanded their reach beyond their strongholds in southern and eastern Afghanistan to some areas in the north which were relatively peaceful for years.

It was not immediately clear what killed the girls who were collecting wood in volatile Nangarhar province in the east. It could have been a bomb planted by insurgents or, for instance, a landmine left over from decades of conflict.

One official in the area said they were apparently killed by a rocket warhead which exploded while they dug it up from the ground out of curiosity.

"Unfortunately, 10 little girls were killed and two others wounded," said Ahmadzia Abdulzai, the provincial government spokesman.

from ARY NEWS
Updated :   Monday  December  17 , 2012  3:37:41 PM

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Dec. 17., 2012. - ISAF Joint Command Morning Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan – An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader in Nad ‘Ali district, Helmand province, today.

The leader emplaced improvised explosive devices and coordinated attacks against Afghan and coalition forces throughout Nad ‘Ali district.

During the operation the security force also detained one suspected insurgent.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

East

Two insurgents were arrested by an Afghan and coalition security force during an operation in search of a Haqqani leader in Pul-e ‘Alam district, Logar province, today. The leader coordinates and plans attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

In Jaghatu district, Wardak province, an Afghan and coalition security force arrested two insurgents during a security search operation for Taliban suicide attack planners today. The planners are believed to have been preparing for an attack against Afghan and coalition forces. The security force also seized several weapons as a result of the operation.

Capital

An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Haqqani leader in Sabari district, Khost province, today. The leader conducted rocket-propelled grenade attacks against Afghan and coalition troops. He acquired and transferred grenade launchers, rockets and other weapons for Haqqani insurgents operating in the district. During the operation, the security force detained four suspected insurgents and seized several weapons and ammunition.

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Dec. 17., 2012. - RC-East operational update

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - Afghan and coalition forces killed two insurgents, detained one, located one weapons cache and cleared three improvised explosive devices during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours, Dec. 16.

Ghazni province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces found and safely cleared one IED in Qarah Bagh district.

Kapisa province
Afghan National Security Forces found and safely cleared two IEDs in Tagab district.

Khowst province
Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces discovered a weapons cache in Bak district. The cache contained homemade explosives and IED components.

Nangarhar province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces detained one insurgent during an engagement in Jalalabad DC district. The detained suspect was transferred to a base for questioning.

Wardak province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces killed two insurgents during an engagement in Maidan Shahr district.

Operations in RC-East are ongoing.

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Over a dozen killed in Jamrud bombing

ISLAMABAD (PAN): More than a dozen people were killed in a massive bomb explosion in Pakistan’s restive northwestern tribal region of Khyber near the Afghanistan border on Monday, officials said.

At least 17 individuals were killed and nearly 40 others, including women and children, wounded in the blast that damaged several shops, vehicles and offices in the Jamrud sub-district, security sources told local media outlets.

The injured, some in critical condition, were evacuated to the Hayatabad Medical Complex and other city hospitals, a political administration official, Hidayat Khan, told reporters. The bomb was placed in a van parked near a crowded market.

Soon after the bombing near the assistant political agent’s office in Jamrud, where a string of military operations have been conducted against the Taliban and other rebel groups in recent years, security forces cordoned off the area.

from Pajhwok
By Qaiser Yousafzai Dec 17, 2012 - 12:20

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Series of blasts in Iraq’s Kirkuk kill 6, wounds 30

Bombings against two Shiite places of worship in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk killed 6 people Sunday, while an attack on a Kurdish political office left two dead, police and doctors said.

Three roadside bombs exploded near a Shi'ite mosque in the city, and a car bomb and a roadside bomb detonated near a Kirkuk television channel, according to police officials.

Omar Sideeq, head of Kirkuk's health department, said six people were killed and 30 wounded. But a police official said 10 people had been killed in the attacks. No-one claimed responsibility.

The officer who spoke to AFP said the attacks took place at around 1630 GMT as a doctor from Kirkuk general hospital confirmed the toll.

Oil-rich and ethnically mixed Kirkuk is part of a swathe of territory in north Iraq that the autonomous Kurdistan region wants to incorporate, despite strong objections by Baghdad.

Earlier on Sunday, a car bomb exploded at the local headquarters of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan or PUK party in the province of Diyalah, after a number of people seeking to join the Kurdish security forces had gathered.

The blast in Jalawla, which like Kirkuk lies in disputed territory, killed two recruits and wounded 13, a police officer and a doctor at the local Hospital said.

The dispute over territory in northern Iraq is the greatest threat to the country's long-term stability, diplomats and officials say. Ties between Baghdad and Kurdistan are also marred by disputes over oil and power-sharing.

While violence has decreased significantly from its peak in 2006-2007, attacks still occur almost every day across the Middle East country.

from AL ARABIYA
Sunday, 16 December 2012

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Dec. 16., 2012. - ISAF Joint Command Morning Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan – An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban facilitator during an operation in Jalalabad district, Nangarhar province Dec. 16.

The facilitator provided direct support to the insurgents who conducted the Dec. 2 attack on Jalalabad Airfield.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

South

An Afghan security force, supported by coalition troops, arrested a Taliban leader and detained two suspected insurgents during an operation in Kandahar district, Kandahar province, Dec. 15. The leader supplied insurgents with weapons and ammunition, coordinated attacks and oversaw the transfer of homemade explosives and improvised explosive device materials.

An Afghan and coalition security force discovered an improvised explosive device cache Dec. 15 during a security operation in Washir district, Helmand province. The cache contained seven IEDs, weapons and IED-making materials. All the items found in the cache were destroyed by the combined security force.

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R.I.P. - Sgt. 1st Class Kevin E. Lipari

DOD Identifies Army Casualty

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Sgt. 1st Class Kevin E. Lipari, 39, of Baldwin, N.Y., died Dec. 14 in Logar province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to HHC 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Bamberg, Germany. This incident is under investigation.

            For more information please contact the U.S. Army Europe public affairs in Heidelberg, Germany at 011-49-162-271-6685.

---

By Jaime Sumersille
December 16, 2012

Sgt. 1st Class Kevin E. Lipari, 39, of Baldwin, was serving in Logar Province in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom when he died on Dec. 14, according to Nassau County officials.

As reported on ArmyTimes.com, the cause of death was not released and is under investigation, according to a Department of Defense press release.

He was assigned to HHC 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team out of Bamberg, Germany.

"I join our citizens in mourning the loss of Sgt. 1st Class Kevin E. Lipari and send my deepest sympathies to his family, friends, and fellow soldiers," County Executive Ed Mangano said. "Nassau County honors Sgt. 1st Class Kevin E. Lipari's supreme sacrifice and we will be forever grateful for his and his fellow soldiers dedication to our great nation."

County Executive Mangano has directed that the flags on all County buildings be lowered to half-staff in honor of and in tribute to Sgt. 1st Class Kevin E. Lipari and his fellow soldiers.

So ordered by Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano:

Flags on County government buildings are to be flown at half-staff effective Dec. 20 through Dec. 27 in honor of Sgt. 1st Class Kevin E. Lipari.

Flags are currently being flown at half-staff until Dec. 19 in honor of Nassau County Police Officer Arthur Lopez who died in the line of duty on Oct. 23.
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R.I.P. - Staff Sgt. Nicholas J. Reid

DOD Identifies Army Casualty

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Staff Sgt. Nicholas J. Reid, 26, of Rochester, N.Y., died Dec. 13 in Landstuhl, Germany from wounds suffered on Dec. 9, in Sperwan Village, Afghanistan, when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.  He was assigned to the 53rd Ordnance Company (EOD), 3rd Ordnance Battalion (EOD), Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

            For more information please contact I Corps public affairs office at 253-208-0576.

---


A 2004 Brockport High School graduate has died from injuries suffered Dec. 9 in southern Afghanistan.

The Department of Defense said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Nicholas J. Reid, 26, died Thursday from the injuries he suffered in Sperwan Village, Afghanistan, while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device, the Department of Defense said.

Staff Sgt. Reid died in a Landstuhl, Germany, hospital.

Officials said he was assigned to the 53rd Ordnance Company (EOD), 3rd Ordnance Battalion (EOD), Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

A neighbor confirmed that Reid is the son of Kenneth and Dorothy Reid of Fairview Drive in Brockport, but no one was home Friday afternoon, and the neighbor said the Reids had requested that neighbors not talk to the media.

Along Main Street in the village, word was just trickling out Friday about Reid’s death. Tristan Brown, 27, said his death is another loss for a community still shaken by the Sept. 29 beating death of a freshman in her dorm room at The College at Brockport.

Brown said he was an acquaintance of Reid’s in high shool. “He seemed like a real cool kid,” he said. “Nothing struck you about him that he was bad in any way, he was quiet and real cool.”

According to a Brockport High School yearbook, Reid was a member of the district’s Devil’s Den, a group of avid fans who support the Brockport Blue Devils at sporting events.

In a written statement, Brockport Central School District Superintendent Lesli Myers said the district’s thoughts and prayers are with the family.

“The loss of one of our own is deeply felt across our community,” she said. “We are so proud and humbled that Nicholas was a part of our community and all he meant to Brockport. We are especially grateful for the sacrifice he ultimately made for our country.”
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R.I.P. - Sgt. Michael J. Guillory

DOD Identifies Marine Casualty

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Sgt. Michael J. Guillory, 28, of Pearl River, La., died Dec. 14 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

            This incident is under investigation.

            For additional information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact Marine Corps Special Operations Command public affairs office at(910) 440-0770.

---

By Andrew deGrandpré - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Dec 15, 2012 15:08:13 EST


A California-based Marine was killed in a vehicle accident Friday in Afghanistan.

Sgt. Michael J. Guillory, 28, of Slidell, La., died about 1:45 p.m. while conducting a resupply mission in Helmand province, Marine officials said in a news release issued Saturday. He was a critical skills operator assigned to Camp Pendleton's 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, part of Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command.

When the accident happened, Guillory was among a group of personnel collecting supplies that had been dropped via aircraft, Maj. Jeff Landis, a MARSOC spokesman, told Marine Corps Times. It's not immediately clear what type of vehicle Guillory was riding in or whether he was driving, Landis said. However, the accident was not caused by an improvised explosive.

After the accident, which is under investigation, Guillory was rushed to a nearby medical facility where attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.

Landis declined to identify where in Helmand province Guillory's unit is deployed, though he said the location is part of a well established village stability operation in which MARSOC has been working closely with the Afghan forces they are there to train.

Guillory joined the Marine Corps in 2003 and became a combat engineer before shifting, in 2007, to the elite reconnaissance community, where he served as a scout with 1st Recon Battalion. He moved to MARSOC in 2009, joining 1st MSOB after successfully completing the special operations community's rigorous selection and training process.

Guillory had previous combat deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq.
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R.I.P. - Staff Sgt. Nelson D. Trent

DOD Identifies Army Casualty
            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Staff Sgt. Nelson D. Trent, 37, of Austin, Texas, died Dec. 13 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.  He was assigned to the 56th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 36th Infantry Division, Fort Worth, Texas.

            For more information please contact the Texas National Guard public affairs office in Austin, Texas at 512-782-5620.

---

from American-Statesman Staff:
By Ben Wear

Staff Sgt. Nelson D. Trent, a Round Rock resident serving in Afghanistan, was killed Thursday in Afghanistan.

A native of the East Texas town of Whitehouse, Trent, 37, died in Kandahar after an improvised explosive device ignited, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Defense. The release said that Trent was assigned to the 56th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 36th Infantry Division out of Fort Worth.

Trent had been affiliated with the Texas Army National Guard, according to Trent’s Facebook page, where he listed himself as the communications noncommissioned officer in charge for Joint Task Force 71, an emergency response unit made up of several guard units. It was unclear Saturday when and how Trent moved to the 36th Infantry, and was deployed to Afghanistan.

As news spread Saturday of Trent’s death, his friends on Facebook remembered him as upbeat and a patriot.

“I can’t ever remember a time being around Nelson and not laughing,” friend David Bell wrote. “He was funny, loved people and loved his country.”
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